I have just completed a 12 day placement at Ipswich Museum working with curator Emma Roodhouse. Never in a month of Sunday’s would I have imagined how interesting this assignment would be.

I have had a fascinating insight to the workings of the museum, Ipswich Art School Gallery, and Christchurch Mansion including Wolsey Art Gallery with the priceless works by Constable and Gainsborough.

Opportunities came my way to archive works and artefacts by Constable and also to help in preparing a masterpiece for transportation.

In all I got to archive the Constable exhibition and room settings in Christchurch Mansion – see previous blog ‘Out of the closet’ plus the Historic & Contemporary Photographic exhibition at Ipswich Art School Gallery – a privilege even though some of my works are hanging there.

Part way through archiving the plan chests in the Wolsey Art Gallery, I got a surprise visit from one of my lecturers who sowed the seeds of doubt into my head on what my dissertation topic might be. Will it be on conceptual art and photography or archiving? Looks like August will start in the Library.

Many thanks to the wonderfully welcoming people, especially Emma who work for the museum service and  made my short assignment a very pleasurable one.